Bruce Springsteen? – Day 2 FFF 2012

I arrive at day two of the FFF at noon, just in time to view An Affair of the Heart. I’m not sure if the theatre is so packed because it’s the first film of day two, or because people are eager to see this film. Then I realize this film is about the legendary Rick Springfield, not to be confused with Bruce Springsteen.

This film is about people’s devotion and ‘obsession’ to Rick Springfield. I was clearly the youngest person in the audience. The majority of the audience seemed to be obsessed, middle aged women (and some with their husbands that were clearly drug along for the ride). As soon as Rick Springfield first appeared on the screen, the audience went crazy. I thought I was watching a Twilight movie when the audience would hoot and holler any time Jacob would appear with no shirt on. Although Rick Springfield is not my generation, I’ve heard, as I’m sure many people have heard as well, his hit ‘Jessie’s Girl.’

David Dean

The film was beautifully edited, especially considering it involved music. After the film I meet up with David Dean, the editor and writer of An Affair of the Heart. The first cut took him 6 months to edit, from January to June of 2011. “I’m thrilled with the final product,” he says. “This is my first feature film I’ve edited.” David has been a professional editor for 30 years, mainly working on cable TV. He’s worked with the Travel Channel, Discovery, Jack Hanna and so much more. He’s hoping this opens some doors for him as a feature film editor.

There was 200 hours of film shot that David took down to just 93 minutes. He “loves working with music.” Producer and director, Sylvia Caminer, has been a filmmaker for 20 years, she even won an Emmy. During the Q & A she told us Rick’s wife, Barbara, was “off limits”, and his two kids. “He’s very protective of his family,” she said.

Melanie Lentz-Janney, who was also the producer and director, said the film “was 30 years in the making.” She was clearly the inspiration for this film as both David and Sylvia stated they were not fans going into it. “At 15 my whole room was decorated with Rick. I know I might sound psychotic but I went to college in his hometown,” said Melanie. For her, the main point she wanted to get across was “if you have something in your heart, pursue it.”

Audience Reactions
After the film I ran into Jonathan and Natasha Chisdes. They were waiting to see the second set of short films. Natasha was quick to state her husband is a fan of the shorts. “I just love shorts,” says Jonathan, “they’re like little gems.” He goes on to say, “They’re very creative and great for a short attention span.” Jonathan says he has been coming to the FFF “every year since it opened in 1992, except for 3 years.” When I asked how many films he’s seen throughout the years, he paused for a while, couldn’t give me an exact number and stated, “I really don’t know.” They’re looking forward to seeing Liberty Heights because it was the movie they saw on their very first date.